The Internet is running over with creative ways of getting rid of the Spanish slugs invading gardens everywhere. But Michael Petersen from Denmark may have found the cheapest and most effective way of all.
He shares the recipe on the clever trick in a facebook post receiving thousands of like in just a few days.
- Homemade slug trap. Very effective. It has been there for maximum 20 minutes. It contains a mix of 1 litre of water, 25 g of spray malt and 3 cl of methylated spirit (alcohol for cleaning). The mixture is enough for 4-5 traps. Remember to use gloves when you pick up the traps as slug slime contains E. Coli bacteria that can make you quite ill, Michael Petersen writes in the popular post.
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Michael Petersen explains to Dagens.com that he discovered the clever solution after having ordered some very expensive slug traps online.
- I've been having huge problems with Spanish slugs last year so I bought some snail traps online. When I saw them I thought that they where clever - but very expensive.
- So I took a look in my rubbish and found an empty milk carton that was supposed to be thrown away. I tested the trap and found out that it is at least as effective and way cheaper, Michael Petersen said to Dagens.com.
He estimates that 25-30 Spanish slugs go into the trap in just a few days and that each trap costs him 11 pence to make.
- Once the trap is full, I simply put on a pair of gloves; put the cap back on the milk carton and through it into the rubbish bin.
Michael Petersen writes in the facebook post that 'a few people have commented on the ethical aspect of such a slug trap'.
-We don't want to use poison in our garden because it hurts hedgehogs, dogs, cats and other smaller animals. This mixture is non-toxic. It simply attracts the slugs to the trap. As an alternative, some people suggest gathering the slugs and cutting them in halves or pouring boiling water on them.
- That used to be our approach but the amount of slugs in our garden is so high that we can spend several hours every morning and evening doing it. That's why we use these slug traps, which is a solution that we can vouch for.
Se his post (in danish) below:
